Liquid Hydrogen-Powered GR Corolla Participates in Fuji 24 Hour Race
OFFICIAL RELEASE
TORONTO, Ontario – May 29, 2023 – The #32 GR Corolla H2 Concept, entered by Toyota and running on liquid hydrogen, went all out at the 2023 Fuji 24 Hours of Super Taikyu ENEOS Series, which took place from May 27-28. It was the first time in the world that a vehicle raced with liquid hydrogen fuel.
Since May 2021, Toyota has been competing in Japan with a similar GR Corolla H2 Concept using hydrogen gas. The switch to liquid hydrogen is a big step forward in development, making the car more competitive.
Liquid hydrogen also makes pit stops faster and more efficient, as refueling can be done in the pits, like gasoline-powered vehicles. By using liquid hydrogen as fuel, equipment that was previously necessary to produce compressed gaseous hydrogen, such as compressors and pre-coolers for cooling hydrogen are no longer needed. As a result, the required station installation area can be a quarter the size of that for gaseous hydrogen stations, and fuel can be refilled in the pit area in the same way as for gasoline-powered vehicles. In addition, since there is no longer the need to pressurize when filling, multiple vehicles can be filled in succession.
We have also succeeded in reducing the vehicle weight by over 50 kg over the past two months, leading to it exceeding the lap times of the hydrogen engine-equipped Corolla when it first competed in May 2021 using gaseous hydrogen fuel.
We have continued development and made improvements with agility through our motorsports activities with the support of our many partners in taking on this challenge, and this has made it possible for us to enter the Fuji 24 Hours Race.
The vehicle’s fuel supply system has been changed to a liquid hydrogen system in conjunction with the change from gaseous to liquid hydrogen. However, the engine itself is the same engine as when the vehicle was running on gaseous hydrogen.
Since the energy density per volume is increased by changing the fuel to liquid hydrogen, the cruising range has doubled with the same filling time as before, approximately 1.5 minutes*2. We will strive to further improve engine performance, cruising range, and filling time throughout the year.
However, liquid hydrogen must be kept at temperatures lower than -253℃ during filling and storage. This poses unique challenges in areas such as developing fuel pump technology that can function in a low-temperature environment, preventing hydrogen from naturally evaporating from the tanks, and establishing regulations for vehicle-mounted hydrogen tanks. Toyota will continue to work on overcoming these challenges with the cooperation of its partners in the areas of producing, transporting, and using hydrogen.
Both gaseous and liquid hydrogen have unique advantages and challenges, with gaseous hydrogen having the advantage of having a simpler system configuration. Toyota will continue to focus on developing both gaseous and liquid hydrogen to increase fuel supply options and make the most of their unique characteristics.
Hydrogen is an important fuel to ensure a carbon-neutral future for top-level motorsport
At the Fuji Super Taikyu ENEOS 24 Hour Race, Toyota President Koji Sato and ACO President Pierre Fillon paved the way for a future carbon-neutral competition car category for legendary 24 hours of Le Mans. This exciting project will see hydrogen being used as a fuel in top-level motorsport – either in combination with a fuel cell system or via combustion engines like in the GR Corolla H2 Concept. According to Pierre Fillon, the objective is to run 100% of the premier category of Le Mans on hydrogen by 2030.
To learn more visit: media.toyota.ca
Image and article courtesy of Toyota Canada
